Creating social value through strategic infrastructure procurement

Creating social value through strategic infrastructure procurement

With over $52 billion worth of infrastructure projects planned across our cities and regions in the next decade, the infrastructure sector will be a key driver of economic growth across Australia and New Zealand.

The sector has the potential to create enormous social value – to reduce inequalities and improve economic participation, and social inclusion - in addition to delivering growth and productivity in our economy. Social and ethical procurement offers great potential to deliver these benefits.

Social and ethical procurement can help address unique local and regional challenges and effectively respond to the Federal and State governments' social and community development objectives. The scale of planned infrastructure projects means that sustainability impacts, both domestically and globally will be significant.

As the world works collectively towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the infrastructure sector in Australia and New Zealand has a unique opportunity to proactively influence sustainable business practices and industry innovation. This article provides direction on how to think about and practically consider these risks and opportunities in infrastructure procurement planning.

Leeora is a globally recognised CSR and sustainability expert and has more than 30 years’ experience in helping organisations adapt to their changing environments. A driving force in the field of corporate social responsibility in Australia, Leeora is known for her pioneering work on stakeholder engagement, as much as her ability to analyse and solve complex CSR and management issues. Leeora works with senior managers and executive teams to create effective corporate and stakeholder strategies and build management capabilities. She is passionate about nurturing the development of the CSR profession and she works to transfer knowledge and skills to facilitate continuous improvement for clients and colleagues both during and after engagements. She is the author of The Social Licence to Operate: Your Management Framework for Complex Times, Do Sustainability Publishers, Oxford, 2013.